Bookies to foot the bill as Australians given choice to opt out of online gambling advertising

Australians could be soon presented with a one-click measure to block online gambling advertising, with the wagering industry forced to fund the scheme plus ongoing compliance under the plan.

Communications Minister Anika Wells introduced the second reading of the Interactive Gambling Act Cost Recovery Levy Bill, which confirmed the government wanted to pursue an opt-out solution, similar to the Do Not Call register.        

“This Bill ensures that the costs of administering, operating and enforcing those reforms, should they be needed, can be recovered from the wagering industry,” Wells told parliament on Monday.

“The Government has listened carefully to the evidence presented during the recent Senate Inquiry and through ongoing stakeholder engagement.

“We are particularly concerned by evidence about wagering inducements and the role these practices can play in encouraging gambling and exacerbating gambling-related harm.

“It is expected that the government’s reforms will respond to these concerns by introducing new restrictions on inducement-based marketing and establishing the Wagering Advertising Opt-Out Register, which will provide Australians with a one-stop shop to opt out of seeing wagering advertising on online platforms.”

The Bill makes clear it will be the betting industry, not taxpayers, who would fund the register, its administration and compliance regime.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority would be responsible for compliance as well as establishing and administering the Opt-Out Register. 

These measures are in addition to existing proposed restrictions around advertising on broadcasting.

“This Bill will enable the ACMA to recover the costs of those activities through a levy imposed on licensed interactive wagering service providers. It is appropriate that the wagering industry, rather than the taxpayers, bears the costs of regulating these activities,” Wells said.

“The levy established by this Bill is intended solely to recover the costs associated with the administering, operating and enforcing of these reforms.”

The specific conditions of any opt-out measure, or even how, technically it will be enforced and monitored, have not been released. There is no confirmation of whether the restrictions would apply to advertising around racing.

The wagering industry has been left scrambling to understand the impacts of the proposed restrictions, while it is not yet known if further measures would be put in place around inducements.

Wells, the federal minister responsible for advertising, has been largely silent in recent weeks on the gambling reform debate, which garnered national attention during a recent two-day Senate inquiry. That inquiry heard evidence which raised concerns over the conduct of wagering companies when it came to inducing people to bet.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who spoke several times last week on the need to find balance in wagering reforms, has met with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor in a bid to come to an agreement on reforms which would get both major parties’ support and pass through parliament.

The closest comparison to the proposed measure is the Do Not Call register. It sees businesses unable to contact people by phone who have put their private number on a list.

There are more than 12 million numbers on the register, which does not technically prevent a call from occurring, but offers sanctions against those who call those on the register. It is left up to businesses to ensure they are compliant with the measure.

It may be that the technical solution for preventing online wagering advertisements from appearing to those who opt out may be left to the wagering industry itself to find.